Short Summary

HEADS OF STATE FROM SEVERAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARRIVED IN ENTEBBE, UGANDA, YESTERDAY (THURSDAY) FOR THE START OF THE THIRD SUMMIT CONFERENCE OF EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN STATES, WHICH OPENED TODAY.

Description

HEADS OF STATE FROM SEVERAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARRIVED IN ENTEBBE, UGANDA, YESTERDAY (THURSDAY) FOR THE START OF THE THIRD SUMMIT CONFERENCE OF EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN STATES, WHICH OPENED TODAY.

THE MEETING IS CHAIRED BY DR. MILTON OBOTE, PRESIDENT OF UGANDA. IT FOLLOWS EARLIER CONFERENCES IN NAIROBI LAST YEAR, AND IN KINSHASA IN FEBRUARY. 12 AFRICAN STATES - KENYA, UGANDA, TANZANIA, CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE AND CONGO-KINSHASA, RWANDA, ZAMBIA, SOMALIA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, BURUNDI, ETHIOPIA, AND THE SUDAN - ARE PARTICIPATING. ALL ARE REPRESENTED BY THEIR HEADS OF STATE, EXCEPT SOMALIA, WHO HAS SENT HER PRIME MINISTER, AND BURUNDI AND CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE, WHO HAVE SENT THEIR FOREIGN MINISTERS.

THE MAJOR ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION ARE THE NEW EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY, REGIONAL SECURITY, AND COMMUNICATIONS AND TRADE.

THE NEW EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY, WHICH LINKS KENYA, UGANDA AND TANZANIA, AND WHICH CAME INTO EFFECT ONLY TWO WEEKS AGO, IS AN ITEM OF MAJOR INTEREST FOR THE CONFERENCE. EMPEROR HAILLE SELASSIE OF ETHIOPIA TOLD REPORTERS ON ARRIVAL AT ENTEBBE THAT ETHIOPIA WOULD FORMALLY SUBMIT ITS APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMUNITY "IN GOOD TIME". THE SOMALI PREMIER, MOHAMED IBRAHIM EGAL SAID ON ARRIVAL: "I HAVE AN APPLICATION AND A SUPPLICATION IN MY POCKET." ZAMBIA HAD ALREADY FORMALLY APPLIED TO JOIN THE GROUP, AND RWANDA PLANS TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS FOR ENTRY. SUDAN IS ALSO CONSIDERING MEMBERSHIP.

ALSO HIGH ON THE LIST FOR DISCUSSION IS THE FATE OF THE 130 WHITE MERCENARIES, WHO HAVE BEEN HELD IN RWANDA SINCE THEY FLED FROM NEIGHBOURING CONGO-KINSHASA ON THE 5TH NOVEMBER. PRESIDENT MOBUTU OF CONGO-KINSHASA, AND PRESIDENT GREGOIRE KAYIBAND OF RWANDA TOLD PRESS CONFERENCES THAT THE PROBLEM OF THE WHITE MERCENARIES WAS A MATTER FOR THE ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY, AND NOT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES. EMPEROR HAILLE SELASSIE SAID HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE O.A.U. DECISION TO REPATRIATE THE MERCENARIES WOULD BE CARRIED OUT WITHOUT DELAY. THE MAIN STUMBLING BLOCK TO REPATRIATION OF THE MERCENARIES HAS BEEN THE DEMAND FOR COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGE DONE TO THE EASTER CONGO BORDER TOWN OF BUKAVU, WHICH THEY OCCUPIED FOR THREE MONTHS.

THE O.A.U. SECRETARY GENERAL, MR DIALLO TELLI OF GUINEA, ALSO ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE, INDICATED TO REPORTERS THAT THE O.A.U. NOW THOUGHT IT UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE COUNTRIES FROM WHICH MOST OF THE MERCENARIES ORIGINATED (BELGIUM, FRANCE AND ITALY) TO FOOT THE BILL. INSTEAD, AN INTERNATIONAL FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN BY THESE COUNTRIES MIGHT BE THE SOLUTION, HE SAID.

ALL THE COUNTRIES ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF KENYA AND SOMALIA, MAKE UP THE O.A.U'S SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MERCENARIES.

WHEN PRESIDENT MOBUTU ARRIVED, SCORES OF CONGOLESE EXPATRIATES WEARING COLOURFUL SHIRTS BEARING THE MESSAGE 'MOBUTU, FATHER OF THE CONGOLESE REPUBLIC' GREETED HIM WITH LOUD CHEERS.